> I know loads of businesses that are becoming more
efficient by using tools
> available on the Internet to reduce their overheads, including
> telecommunications costs.

as we repeatedly relearn, internet conferencing, video conferencing,
and
email are great tools for when the group knows eachother and has established
working relationships. when they don't have such relationships,
these nice
hi tech systems seem to amplify misunderstanding to an occasionally
horrifying degree.

This is total nonsense! Tools don do anything unless some
PERSONuses them. This is akin to saying that guns kill people.
They don't of
course. People do. The net and all it's "Tools", yes this
includes
E-Mail video conferencing and internet conferencing, only provide
for a method of expanding ones working relationships, not detract from
them or in any way, "amplify misunderstanding" without human or
a persons initiating that misunderstanding.

i assure you i wish it was otherwise. i do not live as remotely
as you
(excuse my making assumptions from your email address and aspersions
on
nz's distance from some arbitrary concept of center), but the pain
of
transport and comms bites me severely and continually. i am an
old net
geek and spend a lot of time communicating with other old net geeks.
but
if i do not know them, we fly if we can and phone if we can't.

we're all still funny monkeys and seem to need to scratch eachother's
fleas
<sigh>.